- #1
Especially the scene where the MC attempts su*cide by jumping off a cliff.
[collapse] If you didn't like that novel, you probably won't like this one.The MC is rather pathetic. He is heavily infantilized throughout the novel, being described as obedient, small, weak etc. It is also stated numerous times that he smells like milk, which is a huge red flag. I feel like the author made him an idiot just so he could come off as "cute", but it's just creepy at times. Even after the time-skip, he still acts like a complete child, which is often excused since "he's suffered so much". That's true, but there comes a point where it's not cute anymore. He spends a majority of the first part of the novel sleeping/crying, which is understandable considering all the sh*t the ML puts him through, but he really doesn't do much else. I feel like most of his character is hinged on being a victim and not much else.I don't have much to say about the ML. He's an abusive as*hole with a tragic backstory that doesn't excuse and only slightly explains his behavior. I will say that he gets some surprising character development very late in the story, but that's not before he gets forgiven for everything (way too easily, might I add). For the first part of the novel, he is horribly abusive, and considering the 8-year age gap and the fact that the MC is mentally impaired, I felt like he was g*ooming the MC. SpoilerHe locks the MC in his dungeon, forces him to get a tattoo, pushes for the emperor to send the MC away for a marriage alliance, and even gets engaged/almost has a wedding with the MC's older sister, among other things.
[collapse]There are also issues with the side characters. They all see what the ML is putting the MC through, but they all seem half-hearted in their attempts to help the MC. They pretty much just give up when the ML gets involved. The most promising example was when Spoilerthe MC's childhood friend kind of kidnapped him and took him to another part of the country to escape the ML. But when the ML showed up, the childhood friend just let the ML take the MC away. I understand that he didn't really have a choice (the MC was ill, and they were in a remote army camp), but he could've at least tried a bit harder to keep the ML away from him.
[collapse] Also, the villains in this novel are let off way too easily, considering how insanely evil some of them are.Personally, I also have a problem with the side couples. One of them is the doctor and the ML's bodyguard (my OTP lmao). This might be my heart talking, but the doctor and the bodyguard are different from both the main couple and the other side couple because both individuals are more or less the same age, and both of them are of relatively sound mind. I just wish we could have seen more of them. The second side couple is Spoilerbetween MC's childhood friend and someone who appears in the second arc of the story.I'm not a fan of the other side couple because the MC's childhood friend ends up with someone who is a little too similar to the MC in my opinion (he's basically the MC but more pathetic and with self-esteem levels that go lower than the Mariana Trench). I find that the dynamic is similar to that of the main couple (the MC's childhood friend is actually quite mean to this MC clone before they actually get together). It just rubs me the wrong way.
[collapse]Finally, the author speedruns major events in the story. Some villain characters are introduced and flushed into oblivion like toilet paper that's been used to wipe the ass of this repetitive plot. For example, Spoilerthe crown prince is set up to be some big baddie, and actually kidnaps the MC for a few days, but then he just gets deleted in like two chapters.
[collapse] It's so absurd, you have to read it to believe it.Sorry this is so long-winded and spoiler-heavy. I feel like people will think I'm overexaggerating if I don't provide some evidence. Overall, a very frustrating read even as someone who kind of likes this wife-chasing genre. I don't usually form opinions that are so negative after I read things, so this novel is one of a kind in that regard. Read if you want to be able to play a drinking game with how many times you get annoyed or frustrated (please don't, you'll probably die).
